By South China Morning Post | Created at 2024-12-14 08:26:33 | Updated at 2024-12-14 10:45:07
2 hours ago
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol was impeached on Saturday over his short-lived attempt to impose martial law, throwing the nation into months of caretaker rule.
Police said least 200,000 people rallied in Seoul outside the National Assembly, which voted on the resolution for “insurrectionary acts”, a week after a first attempt to remove Yoon for the martial law debacle failed.
Out of 300 lawmakers, 204 backed the measure while 85 voted against. Three abstained, with eight votes nullified.
Under South Korea’s Constitution, Yoon is immediately suspended from office upon impeachment.
The prime minister or a member of the State Council, following the order of succession determined by law, assumes the role of acting president until the Constitutional Court delivers its final ruling within 180 days.
If it backs his removal, he would become the second president in South Korean history to be successfully impeached.
